Hormones, sexuality and fertility in women

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The extent to which the sexuality of women shows a predictable menstrual cyclicity varies considerably from woman to woman, though the most common times for peaks of sexual interest are the pre‐ and post‐menstrual weeks, not the middle of the cycle. Evidence is presented suggesting that mood is an important determinant of the post‐menstrual peak of sexuality, whereas the pre‐menstrual peak may depend on other mechanisms such as a delayed effect of the mid‐cycle rise in testosterone.Generally, the evidence for a relationship between hormones and sexual behaviour is much more variable and inconsistent in women than in men. Various explanations for this difference have been proposed, including a greater genetic variability of hormone‐behaviour relationships in women. Evidence, relevant to this hypothesis, of a relationship between frequency of sexual activity and the fertility of the ovarian cycle is reviewed and alternative explanations for the findings are considered.